Fake insurance scam: Compromise by police under lens

A fake insurance scam in which Rs 80 lakh were duped from a 85-year-old Sector-19 woman over the last year, beginning February, could well have been contained at around Rs 14 lakh, had officers at Sector-19 police station not effected a ‘compromise’ when the broad countours of the fraud first came to light in July 2014.

A fake insurance scam in which Rs 80 lakh were duped from a 85-year-old Sector-19 woman over the last year, beginning February, could well have been contained at around Rs 14 lakh, had officers at Sector-19 police station not effected a ‘compromise’ when the broad countours of the fraud first came to light in July 2014.

The compromise involved submission of cheques by the accused and keeping an Alto car parked in the victim’s house as security. Later, the cheques bounced and the victim finally lodged a complaint on July 28, 2014 with the Chandigarh SSP.

The scam and the role of the police came under the scanner only recently when the victim’s son, Aditya Chug came to Chandigarh from abroad and brought the facts to the notice of senior police officers. The case was transferred to the Economic Offences Wing and seven people were arrested last week.

Interestingly, at the time of the compromise, the police failed to take cognisance of the fact that the names given by the accused were different.

When contacted Sector-19 SHO Maninder Singh said he had he only been posted as the SHO on December 22. Former SHO at the station, Poonam Dilvari( presently SHO sector 26), she did not respond to calls.

Chandigarh SSP Dr Sukhchain Singh Gill said, “We will examine the role of the police officials in the case. The accused who have been arrested last week are not the ones that that entered into a compromise with the victim.”